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Monthly Archives: September 2013

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With October on the rise Halloween, or Hollow’s Evening, is just around the corner. Western traditions dictate activities like trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, haunted houses, and carving jack-o-lanterns. However, Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samahain; the festival celebrating the end of the harvest in Gaelic culture. They believed on October 31st the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped. This haunting necklace from Bel Air Jewelry is reminiscent of the dark beauty of this holiday. Let your love overlap all boundaries, and cross into the forbidden.

Sapphire was named after the Greek word “sapphirus”, meaning blue. The striking deep blue of a quality sapphire like this one from Bel Air Jewelry is reminiscent of a cloudless night sky lacing open in the bloom of a lily. Ancient civilizations believed that the world was set upon an enormous sapphire, which painted the sky blue with its reflection. The Tradition holds that Moses was given the ten commandments on tablets of sapphire, making it the most sacred gemstone. Because sapphires represent divine favor, they were the gemstone of choice for kings and high priests. The British Crown Jewels are full of large blue sapphires, and even more recently Prince Charles chose a sapphire engagement ring for Princess Diana. The ancients regarded star sapphires as a very powerful talisman, a guiding star for travelers and seekers of all kinds. Whatever the definition, sapphires have had a long mythology of symbolism representing truth, sincerity, and faithfulness. Don’t let the season pass without adorning yourself with this mystical gem.

“Supernatural powers have long been attributed by astrologers to certain gemstones. Wearing the gem associated with one’s birthday is commonly thought to bring good luck or health.” —Encylopedia Britannica

The basic human need to own and wear materials we deem “sacred” or special is what drives us to collect rocks and minerals. Perhaps this explains the lure of birthstones; how powerful it is to have our month of birth represented by a beautiful natural gemstone. Sapphires are the precious stone for those born in the month of September. They were believed to have special protective powers, such as preventing envy and protecting the wearer from poisoning. Some ancient cultures even thought that if a sapphire container held a venomous snake, it would die! In addition, people believed that sapphire ground to a powder had medical healing properties, such as the ability to cure colic, rheumatism, blindness, and mental ailments. Sapphire is a form of the mineral corundum, and it exists in a range of colors from light to dark blue. Corundum is the second-hardest mineral after diamond. Sapphire is any form of corundum that is not red, as red varieties are called rubies. These dark sliced sapphires have a sort of raw, natural, undefined beauty. Wear this month’s birthstone by Bel Air Jewelry and enjoy not only the compliments, but the good luck that will follow!

Vampires are folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures. Although vampiric entities have been recorded in many cultures, and go back to “prehistoric times”, the term vampire was not popularized until the early 18th century, with the success of vampire literature, namely John Polidori’s 1819 novella The Vampyre that established the archetype of charismatic and sophisticated vampires. Also Bram Stroker’s 1897 Dracula is remembered as the quintessential vampire novel which provided the basis of modern vampire fiction. The success of this book spawned a distinctive vampire genre, still popular today with books, films, video games, and television shows. It’s pulled itself from the realms of nightmares into the modern world, classified as “the sexy immortals.” Bel Air Jewelry hints at these modern vampiric themes with their blood red ruby collections and this sassy video (click the photo above).

Kristin Bauer van Straten was born and raised in Racine, Racine County, Wisconsin with her parents – an avid horseman and gun collector, and a housewife involved in charities. In childhood she played sports, and like her father, rode horses and shot guns. In her youth she studied fine arts in Boston and New York, but decided to become an actress and moved to LA, where she has been living the life of stardom since she began acting in 1994. Known most often as the fiery vixen that plays the role of Pam on True Blood, her “larger than life” attitude has worked its way into the hearts of the viewers. This sassy vampire is one of the most luxurious well-dressed characters on the show. When she mocks her own bloodlust by dressing in iconic rubies and vivacious red outfits it asks the question; is there any day that a ruby doesn’t look good on a woman’s neck? Check out these decadent pieces by Bel Air Jewerly and let your imagination run wild with the idea of countless sharp kisses.

In celebration of the growing adoration of emerald and green in today’s fashion world one striking image comes to mind; Cleopatra. In ancient Egypt, color was an integral part of the substance and being of everything in life. Green (wadj) was the color of vegetation and renewal. To do “green things” was slang for beneficial, life-producing behavior. Osiris was often portrayed with green skin and referred to as “the Great Green”. In Chapter 77 of the Book of the Dead, it is said that the deceased will become a falcon “whose wings are of green stone”. The Eye of Horus amulet was commonly made of green stone as well. The pigment was derived from malachite and was often worn around the eyes to symbolize power and life. Who can forget the way it empowered the brazen face of Elizabeth Taylor, with blues and greens so remarkably intense, that for a moment she was like the Egyptian ruler herself. Let your own inner ruler shine by enhancing your natural grace with these powerful emeralds by Bel Air Jewelry.

With the heat of summer hot on our backs, the color green inspires a refreshing idea: life. Green is the color of growing grass and leaves, of emeralds and of jade. In the continuum of colors of visible light it is located between yellow and blue. It is also one of three primary colors, along with red and blue, which, in different combinations on a computer or television display, make all the other colors possible. In the ancient world ceramics from Mesopotamia show people wearing vivid green costumes. In Egypt green was the symbol of regeneration and rebirth, and of the crops made possible by the annual flooding of the Nile. For painting on the walls of tombs or on papyrus, Egyptian artists used finely-ground green malachite, mined in west Sinai and the eastern desert. Even the Romans had a great appreciation for the color green; it was the color of Venus, the goddess of gardens, vegetables, vineyards and love. No matter what the age, the color alone inspires a flood of positive emotions. Treat yourself to a refreshing mid-summer delight with the ambiance of emeralds from Bel Air Jewelry.

Victoria Bechkam is just one of many celebrities showcasing the popular iconic symbol of the butterfly. But this beautiful bug was heavily steeped in symbology long before celebrities had them incrusted with diamonds. The ancient Greek word for butterfly primarily means “soul” or “mind”.According to Mircea Eliade’s Encyclopedia of Religion, some of the Nagas of Manipur trace their ancestry from a butterfly. In Japan the butterfly is the personification of a person’s soul. One Japanese superstition says that if a butterfly enters your guestroom and perches behind the bamboo screen, the person whom you most love is coming to see you. In Chinese culture, two butterflies flying together symbolize love. Also, Butterfly Lovers is a famous Chinese folktale. Whether it be the soul, or an omen of love, don’t let the summer pass without adorning yourself with the symmetry of this beautiful winged guardian by Bel Air Jewelry.

A butterfly is a transformative symbol similar to the mythical Phoenix. However, the change from caterpillar to the chrysalis and emergence as a butterfly is no myth. It’s a miracle that happens every spring and summer, gracing our gardens and our lives with their beauty. It’s no wonder that pins like this from Bel Air Jewelry are so popular. What does your jewelry say about you? Are you free like the butterfly? Is your love transforming like the chrysalis emerging from the dark night of its cocoon? Whatever your circumstance let this broach fly you away to a summer’s garden, where you and your heart are always in bloom.